From near to right: H. Jerome Russell, Jay Bailey, Georgia Institute of Technology President Angel Cabrera, Assistant Secretary Alejandra Castillo, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, U.S. Congresswoman Nikema Williams, U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock airs for photos astatine the Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurs connected Monday, December 13, 2021 successful Atlanta. (Photo by: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
A conjugation consisting of Georgia Tech, the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs, Spelman College, the Technical College System of Georgia, and the Georgia Department of Economic Development, is among 60 finalists that volition person a assistance of $500,000 from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, arsenic portion of The Build Back Better Regional Challenge.
Overall, the $1 cardinal “Build Back Better Regional Challenge” is the centerpiece of the EDA’s American Rescue Plan programs – which aims to boost economical pandemic betterment and rebuild American communities, including immoderate that have been grappling with decades of disinvestment. The Build Back Better Regional Challenge provides transformative investments – up to $100 cardinal per grantee – to make and fortify determination manufacture clusters crossed the country, each portion embracing economical equity, creating good-paying jobs, and enhancing U.S. competitiveness globally.
“When I was named president of my alma mater, successful 2019, I was with Jay,” Georgia Tech president Angel Cabrera said, describing his gathering with Jay Bailey, CEO of the Russell Innovation Center and Entrepreneurs. “And it was very, precise wide that the accidental for Atlantis to beryllium an illustration not conscionable of innovation, but open, inclusive innovation. We person each the elements. It’s our corporate work to enactment those pieces unneurotic to marque definite we’re an illustration of a spot wherever caller economical opportunities are unfastened to everybody.”
In this case, the Atlanta-based conjugation volition utilize the assistance for method assistance to program the Georgia Artificial Intelligence Manufacturing Corridor (GA-AIM). Led by Georgia Tech, GA-AIM volition capable existing exertion gaps, physique a technological accidental model that includes underrepresented communities and agrarian Georgia counties, and amended unafraid the state’s manufacturing infrastructure. Additionally, Georgia Tech’s Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility volition beryllium transformed into the AI Manufacturing Pilot Facility. The caller installation allows for authorities aviator trials, cybersecurity games, and workforce grooming to innovate, transition, and make a workforce for AI manufacturing technologies without exposing the region’s proviso chains to risk.
Secondly, Spelman’s Innovation Lab volition make virtual world exertion for grooming oregon retraining the GA-AIM workforce to marque workers comfy with caller technologies earlier deployment successful real-world applications.
Next, The Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs volition make the 5,000-square-foot LaunchPad AI Innovation Studio to supply prototyping and impervious of conception improvement of carnal products. Black entrepreneurs volition beryllium fixed entree to equipment, training, and mentoring. LaunchPad AI volition besides beryllium unfastened to AI InVenture teams from Atlanta’s K-12 nationalist schools, with peculiar programs designed for startup mentoring and effect backing for K-12 entrepreneurs.
Lastly, the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) volition design, develop, and instrumentality curricula astatine assemblage colleges that see apprenticeships astatine AI-MPF and virtual world modules from Spelman. The TCSG volition besides supply determination introduction points for dual enrollment and accepted students to AI manufacturing method acquisition astatine certificate and grade levels. Graduates volition person exit points that pb straight to careers successful the manufacture oregon supply for the continuation of acquisition and higher grade attainment done articulation agreements among GA-AIM members.
“I’m thrilled to beryllium present contiguous to denote a fractional cardinal dollar readying assistance that’s going to assistance make jobs close present successful Atlanta and determination our system into the future,” Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock said. “And I’d beryllium remiss if I didn’t punctual folks that these are investments that Georgians made imaginable erstwhile they sent maine to the Senate, and made it imaginable for america to walk the American Rescue Plan, arsenic has already been said, elections map, a substance present successful Georgia, and successful this case, successful substance for the full country.”
Chosen from a excavation of 529 applicants, These grants volition assistance the finalists instrumentality their projects to the adjacent level and presumption those who yet bash not person Phase 2 implementation awards to find caller partners and sources of funding. The programme has already catalyzed caller partnerships and originative approaches to determination economical development.
“What I person seen has convinced maine that what you person present successful Atlanta is incredibly special,” U.S Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said. “And I americium arrogant that we’ve chosen Atlanta to marque this announcement and I’m arrogant that we’ve chosen your conjugation arsenic among the 60, to get 1 of these readying grants, and I person full assurance successful what’s happening here.”
According to a release, the 60 finalists person projected projects that volition make oregon standard manufacture sectors, make and bid the workforce of today, and physique resilient economies. Finalists volition present vie for Phase 2 of the Challenge, which volition grant 20-30 determination coalitions up to $100 cardinal to instrumentality 3-8 projects that enactment an manufacture sector. The deadline for Phase 2 is March 15, 2022.
“And successful that conjugation is Georgia Tech, evidently Spelman College, the Technical College System of Georgia,” Raimondo said. “I emotion that. That is important. That’s the portion nobody’s getting near behind. You spell to a method college, you’re a agrarian Georgian, and you’re the archetypal kid successful your household to spell to a method college. These jobs are for you. They’re coming to you. That impressed maine truthful overmuch that this was portion of this conjugation of the Russell center, and others. It’s an unthinkable coalition. It’s a conjugation committed to equity.”
Itoro Umontuen presently serves arsenic Managing Editor of The Atlanta Voice. Upon his accomplishment to the historical publication, helium served arsenic their Director of Photography. He aboriginal served arsenic Sports Director throughout... More by Itoro Umontuen
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